Streptococcal pharyngitis facts for kids

Strep throat is a common sickness. It is caused by tiny germs called group A streptococcus bacteria. This illness mainly affects your throat and tonsils. Your tonsils are two small glands at the back of your mouth. Strep throat can also bother your voice box.

Common signs of strep throat include a fever and a sore throat. You might also notice swollen glands in your neck. These glands are called lymph nodes. Strep throat causes about 37% of sore throats in children.

Strep throat spreads easily from person to person. It spreads when you are close to someone who is sick. To know for sure if you have strep throat, a doctor can do a throat culture test. Doctors often use antibiotics to treat strep throat. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria. They help prevent more serious problems, like rheumatic fever.

What are the signs of strep throat?

The main signs of strep throat are a sore throat and a fever. The fever is usually higher than 38°C (100.4°F). You might also see pus on your tonsils. Pus is a thick, yellowish fluid. Your lymph nodes in the neck can also swell up.

Other signs you might have:

• A headache
• Feeling sick to your stomach or throwing up (nausea)
• Stomach pain
• Muscle aches
• A rash of small red bumps. This rash can be on your body or inside your mouth. It's not common but is a clear sign.

If you catch strep throat, you will usually start to feel sick one to three days after being around a sick person.

What causes strep throat?

Strep throat is caused by a specific type of bacteria. It's called group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GAS). Other germs, like viruses, can also cause a sore throat.

You can get strep throat by being in close contact with someone who has it. The illness spreads more easily where many people are together. This includes places like schools. The GAS bacteria can dry out into dust. When dry, they usually can't make people sick. But if the bacteria stay moist, they can live for up to 15 days. You might find moist bacteria on things like toothbrushes. It's rare, but these bacteria can also live in food and make people sick. About 12% of children can have GAS bacteria in their throats without any symptoms.

How do doctors find strep throat?

Doctors use a checklist to help decide if someone has strep throat. This checklist is called the modified Centor score. It helps them guess how likely it is that you have the illness.

Doctors give one point for each of these signs:

• No cough
• Swollen lymph nodes that hurt when touched
• A temperature higher than 38°C (100.4°F)
• Pus or swelling on the tonsils
• Being under 15 years old (a point is taken away if you are over 44 years old)

Tests for strep throat

The best way to know if you have strep throat is with a throat culture. This test is very accurate, about 90 to 95 percent of the time. There is also a faster test called a rapid strep test (RADT). The rapid strep test is quicker but only finds the illness correctly about 70 percent of the time. Both tests are very good at showing when you do NOT have strep throat.

Doctors usually only test people who are sick. People who don't have symptoms usually don't need to be tested. This is because some people have strep bacteria in their throats naturally without being sick. These people don't need treatment.

Other illnesses with similar signs

Strep throat can have signs that are similar to other illnesses. This can make it tricky to know if it's strep throat without a test. If you have a fever and sore throat, but also a cough, runny nose, diarrhea, and red, itchy eyes, it's more likely to be a sore throat caused by a virus.

Another illness called mononucleosis can also cause swollen lymph nodes, a sore throat, and fever. It can also make your tonsils bigger. A blood test can help find out if it's mononucleosis. There is no specific treatment for mononucleosis.

How to prevent strep throat?

Some people get strep throat more often than others. Sometimes, removing the tonsils can help stop these people from getting strep throat so often. If someone gets strep throat three or more times in one year, removing the tonsils might be an option.

How is strep throat treated?

Strep throat usually gets better on its own in a few days. But treating it with antibiotics can make you feel better about 16 hours faster. The main reason for using antibiotics is to prevent more serious problems. These problems include a heart disease called rheumatic fever or a collection of pus in the throat. Antibiotics work best if you start taking them within 9 days of when your symptoms began.

Medicine for pain

Medicines that help with pain can make your sore throat feel better. These often include medicines like paracetamol (also called acetaminophen) or NSAIDs. Steroids can also be helpful. Aspirin can be used by adults. However, children should not take aspirin. It can make them more likely to get a serious condition called Reye's syndrome.

Antibiotic medicines

Penicillin V is a common antibiotic used for strep throat in the United States. It's popular because it's safe, works well, and doesn't cost much. In Europe, amoxicillin is often used. In some places, like India, where rheumatic fever is more common, an injected medicine called benzathine penicillin G is often used.

Antibiotics usually shorten the time you feel sick by about one day. They also help stop the illness from spreading to others. The main reason for using them is to prevent rare but serious problems. These include rheumatic fever, rashes, or other infections. Doctors weigh the good effects of antibiotics against possible side effects. If a healthy adult has bad reactions to medicine, they might not need antibiotics.

If you have bad allergies to penicillin, other medicines like erythromycin can be used. If your allergies are not as severe, cephalosporins might be an option. Strep infections can sometimes lead to swelling of the kidneys. Antibiotics do not prevent this specific problem.

What is the outlook for strep throat?

The signs of strep throat usually get better in about three to five days, whether you take medicine or not. But taking antibiotics helps lower the risk of more serious illnesses. It also makes it harder for you to spread the illness. Children can usually go back to school 24 hours after they start taking antibiotics.

Very serious problems can sometimes be caused by strep throat:

• These include rheumatic fever or scarlet fever.
• A dangerous illness called toxic shock syndrome.
• Kidney problems like glomerulonephritis.
• An illness called PANDAS syndrome. This is an immune system problem that can cause sudden, serious changes in behavior.

How common is strep throat?

Strep throat is a type of sore throat. About 11 million people in the United States get sore throats each year. Most sore throats are caused by viruses. However, the GAS bacteria causes 15 to 30 percent of sore throats in children. It causes 5 to 20 percent of sore throats in adults. Strep throat usually happens more often in late winter and early spring.

See also

In Spanish: Faringitis estreptocócica para niños